Category Archives: Annual Meeting Task Force

This post was written by council member Michelle Light with assistance from council member Tim Pyatt. I thank them and the other members of Council made suggestions for this post and who have responded to questions and concerns from section and roundtable leaders about forthcoming changes for the 2015 annual meeting.

In 2013 the SAA Annual Meeting Task Force submitted a thoughtful and forward thinking report that gave the Society a number of recommendations for improving our annual meeting. If you haven’t read the report, you should! Continue reading →

It’s been a very interesting transition becoming president of the Society of American Archivists. I joke about my second full time job and the joys of balancing my paid position with my unpaid one. I have people genuflecting and asking if they should call me “Madame President”. (I tell them to just call me “Danna”) I also hear from people who think that I am SAA and that they have no voice in the activities and plans of the Society. I am here to tell you that is absolutely incorrect. Continue reading →

Yesterday Kathy Marquis, co-chair of SAA’s amazing Annual Meeting Task Force, posted to the group’s web page a note about what’ll be happening at the AMTF’s public forum on next Wednesday, 15 August, when we’re all gathered in New Orleans. Her post gives you all the details, so have a look.

Here’s what I’d like to highlight: Most of the forum will consist of small group discussions about how SAA should follow up on the TF’s recommendations in the following areas:

What sort of networking opportunities, both structured and unstructured, would you find valuable at the Annual Meeting?

We’re already implementing a variety of popular new session formats, such as lightning rounds and unconferences. What others would you like to see offered? See the call for proposals for the 2014 conference for a list of some of the possibilities being encouraged for next year. Which ones work the best for you?

Is it important to try to shorten the Annual Meeting in order to help attendees save on their expenses for the week? And if it is important, where should we cut back? Fewer sessions? Shorter sessions?

How should we approach offering some of the meeting content online to enable remote participation? Which types of session are the most important to make available? Section and roundtable meetings? Some of the dozens of education sessions? Plenaries? Perhaps live-streaming of the business meeting? SAA will have to factor in the cost of each methodology and set priorities. We’ll need to get the sense of the membership regarding what you need the most.

And be sure to have a look at the document that Council will be considering next Monday that may determine our priorities for making changes of all kinds to future Annual Meetings. Any and all comments on that are welcomed.

If you read this week’s In the Loop e-newletter, you know that Council will be discussing its priorities for taking action on the many recommendations of the Annual Meeting Task Force at our meeting on the evening of Monday 12 August. Take a look at the document we’ll be discussing—I’d be happy to hear any comments before then so I can feed your reactions into the Council discussion. Continue reading →

As you may know, I’m currently a bit obsessed with getting feedback about the Annual Meeting, given both the work of our Annual Meeting Force Task and the fact that I’ll be (gulp) sort of responsible for next year’s meeting in … [drum roll] … beautiful New Orleans! So, please tell me about your experience in San Diego a couple of weeks ago. Continue reading →

I sure hope so! It’s an amazing playground for those of us who love being archivists, connecting with like-minded colleagues, being exposed to more learning than our brains can possibly hold (umm, I speak only for myself), and generally having a fantastic time. The first year I attended the SAA conference I felt like a kid in a candy store. So many alluring sessions! Hundreds of fascinating archivists! Such excellent work being done! I’ve been back every year for … a long time now. Continue reading →